aleatory
Americanadjective
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Law. depending on a contingent event.
an aleatory contract.
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of or relating to accidental causes; of luck or chance; unpredictable.
an aleatory element.
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Music. employing the element of chance in the choice of tones, rests, durations, rhythms, dynamics, etc.
adjective
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dependent on chance
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(esp of a musical composition) involving elements chosen at random by the performer
Etymology
Origin of aleatory
1685–95; < Latin āleātōrius, equivalent to āleātōr- (stem of āleātor gambler ( āle ( a ) game of chance + -ātor -ator ) + -ius adj. suffix; -tory 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That’s true of Silverman’s comedy in general, built as it is on apparently aleatory mismatches of tone and content.
From New York Times • Jun. 7, 2022
The white-on-white markings can be seen as aleatory wall drawings.
From Washington Post • Nov. 9, 2017
As a generation from whom little was expected, we cultivated an aleatory, “slacker” ethos—well depicted in Richard Linklater’s film of the same name.
From Salon • May 25, 2013
An innovative 1945 work, a concerto for piano and orchestra called “Lousadzak,” used elements of aleatory music, with instruments repeating phrases in random, uncoordinated fashion.
From New York Times • Nov. 4, 2011
The fact of the aleatory element in human life, the human interpretations of it, and the efforts of men to deal with it constitute a large part of the history of culture.
From Folkways A Study of the Sociological Importance of Usages, Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals by Sumner, William Graham
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
